Apples and Pears: Production, Physicochemical and Nutritional Quality, and Major Products

Abstract

This chapter reviews important aspects of apple and pear production, quality, processing, and major products. Apples (Malus domestica) are the second leading fruits produced in the world. They are good sources of natural plant flavonoids having antioxidant properties. On average, about 46% of the polyphenolic compounds found in apples are concentrated in the skin and apples with the peel have higher antioxidant capacity than without the peel. Apples contain natural sugars, organic acids, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Regular consumption of one or more apples a day is suggested to reduce risks of lung and colon cancer.Similar to apples in production, postharvest handling and processing, pears (European pears: Pyrus communis L.; Asian pears: Pyrus serotina L.) are sweet, fleshy, dessert-type fruit. Fructose is the primary sugar in European pears and they contain more sorbitol than glucose and sucrose. Pears are good sources of fiber and micronutrients. The skin/peel of pears contains higher concentration of chlorogenic acid, flavonols, and arbutin than the flesh.

Optimisation of Physical and Chemical Treatments to Control Browning Development and Enzymatic Activity on Fresh-cut Apple Slices

“…Processed product consumption trends are rapidly increasing in different food practices due to nutritional, functional and convenience aspects [1]. For example, frozen or dried apple slices are typically used in bakery or cereal applications to meet nutritional and food security needs [2,3].…”

Fruit By-Products and Their Industrial Applications for Nutritional Benefits and Health Promotion: A Comprehensive Review

“…Apple is among the widely cultivated temperate fruits with pleasing taste, aroma, and health-enhancing substances [24]. Nearly 68% of apples are consumed raw, and the remaining is industrially processed for juice, cider, and powder, generating various byproducts such as seed, peel, core, and stem using microwave-assisted phosphoric acid activation [25].…”

Effect of Continuous-Flow Microwave Pasteurization on Profile of Volatile Compounds in Cloudy Apple Juice

“…Freshly squeezed apple juice (70 L) was processed in a continuous-flow microwave pasteurizer Lab25-UHT/HTST EHVH (MicroThermics, Raleigh, USA), as detailed by Siguemoto et al (2018a) (Figure 1). To evaluate the effect of processing on the profile of volatile compounds, twelve conditions were tested (Table 1, C = conventional, M = microwave) based on commercial pasteurization of apple juice (Sinha, 2012) and enzymatic inactivation kinetics (Siguemoto et al, 2018b).…”